Bihar: Woman BDO ask Hindu couples to take eight ‘pheras’

Supaul (Bihar) [India] Feb 24 : A woman Block Development Officer (BDO) in Supaul, Bihar, has started a unique initiative. She is asking all Hindu couples, who are getting married in the district to take eight pehras instead of seven during the wedding ceremony.
She said the eighth phera is a pledge for cleanliness. Even though according to mythological beliefs every Hindu couples, who get married have to take only seven pheras during the wedding ceremony.
This unique initiative by the local administration has caught everyone's eyes and has become the talk of the town.
According to sources, Rachna Bharatiya, the woman BDO of Basantpur Block in Supaul District, has created a team of public representatives and officials, who have been given the task of attending weddings in the district even without a formal invitation. The main task of this team at these weddings is not just to taste the food, but also make the wedding couples take eight pheras as a pledge for cleanliness.
On Friday night, the team attended several such wedding venues and made sure that the couples took eight pheras instead of seven. Not only that, the team members also spoke to the guests present there and impressed upon them on the need to maintain cleanliness during weddings and even in their daily lives. Some of the couples were greeted and blessed by the BDO.
While people spend lakhs of rupees in weddings, but if they do not spend money to build toilets in their homes then the talk of progress sounds hollow.
This initiative has become quite popular which can be gauged by the fact that the newlyweds seem quite happy with taking the extra phera.